The present invention relates to dispenser for magnetic objects. More particularly, although not exclusively, the invention relates to a dispenser having a receptacle with an opening surrounded by a magnetic ring. The dispenser can be inverted by mechanical means to enable paperclips or other magnetic objects at the bottom of the receptacle to be presented and retained magnetically at the opening for easy access.
Known paperclip dispensers comprise a receptacle having a lid incorporating an aperture surrounded by a magnet. When the receptacle is substantially full of clips, the magnet has sufficient strength to retain some of clips at the aperture for easy access. However, the magnets display insufficient strength to attract clips from the bottom of the receptacle when the receptacle is near-empty. Therefore the dispenser must be raised manually and inverted so that the clips fall toward the magnet and are retained at the opening prior to inversion to the original orientation.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate the above disadvantage and/or more generally to provide improved dispenser for magnetic objects.
There is disclosed herein a dispenser for magnetic objects comprising:
a base,
an engaging surface on the base,
a barrel attached to the base and comprising an opening having a magnet adjacent thereto, the barrel having an engager fixed thereto, the engager adapted to co-operate with the engaging surface upon movement of the barrel relative to the base so that the barrel rotates to an inverted orientation.
Preferably the engaging surface comprises a rack.
Preferably the engager comprises a pinion.
Preferably the pinion can move beyond one or either end of the rack to disengage therefrom to allow the barrel to spin freely.
Preferably the barrel is attached pivotally to the base and the rack is curved. Preferably a pivot arm extends between the base and the barrel such that upon pivotal movement of the arm, the barrel rotates due to engagement of the pinion with the rack.
Preferably the device further comprises a drum fixed to the barrel and having an annular array of inwardly facing teeth engaging with ratchet arms extending from a hub that rotates with the pinion, allowing rotation of the barrel with respect to the pinion in one direction only.
Preferably there is a weight in the barrel to ensure that the opening is presented in a desired orientation when the pinion has moved beyond either end of the rack.
As used herein, the word xe2x80x9cbarrelxe2x80x9d is intended to mean a receptacle having an opening. Moreover, a xe2x80x9cbarrelxe2x80x9d is not necessarily traditionally barrel-shaped, but might be generally spherical, cubed or any other shape.
As used herein, the word xe2x80x9cmagneticxe2x80x9d means xe2x80x9cattracted by a magnetxe2x80x9d.